


Dare

by theundeadsiren (rhoen)



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: 7 minutes in heaven, Dare, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhoen/pseuds/theundeadsiren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick and Kieren were dared to do 7 minutes in heaven, and kiss. Neither of them make excuses to back out of doing it, but it's Rick who it has the most profound effect on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dare

**Author's Note:**

> I should be writing for the Big Bang thingy, but I'm finding that hard, and there was a post on my dash which led to me writing this. ([This post](http://matymurdok.tumblr.com/post/110467148603/here-have-some-aus-as-if-there-arent-enough-on), if you need to know).
> 
> Neither of them have kissed anyone before.
> 
> Un-beta'd. I read over it only as I wrote. There will be mistakes.

**You may not take this fic and edit or reupload it - in whole or in part - without my express permission. This includes translations.**

If you are reading this anywhere other than my (theundeadsiren) tumblr, AO3 or livejournal, then please [let me know](http://theundeadsiren.tumblr.com/ask/), including a link to where you found it, so I can take steps to have it removed. For a list of people given permission to use parts of my works, please see [here](http://theundeadsiren.tumblr.com/permission).

Thank you for respecting my wishes

* * *

 

 

"We have to kiss. It's the rules."

"Yeah..." Rick nodded, swallowing thickly. He shouldn't be this nervous. They were friends. This didn't mean anything. It was just some stupid dare.

"Just pretend I'm Vicky or someone," Kieren said thinly. It made Rick sigh, closing his eyes. About thirty seconds had passed so far - thirty seconds of being pressed close together, only a thin sliver of light penetrating the darkness. The cupboard smelt of fresh linen, but it was the warmth of Kieren's body so close to his own that occupied Rick's senses. He could feel the ghost of Kieren's breath against his cheek, and it felt strangely intimate - especially as he knew Kieren could probably feel it too. He wondered if Kieren could hear how loudly and how fast his heart was beating. His senses felt heightened. They were waiting for something. Somehow Rick knew he was going to do this. Backing out and just saying he'd done it wasn't an option. Rick was man enough to see this dare through.

How would he kiss someone, he wondered, straining to make out Kieren's outline in the darkness. It was just a vague shadow amidst the darkness. When Rick had thought about kissing, he's always thought he'd gaze into the person's eyes, see them falling for him as he carefully moved closer, closing the distance until he claimed a kiss, arms wrapping around them as they came undone and went weak at his touch. But Kieren... Kieren wouldn't react like that. This kiss wouldn't be at all as Rick imagined it. It definitely wouldn't be like kissing a girl.

Aware of his own silence, Rick raised his hand carefully, bumping against Kieren's cheek before he gently stroked it, trying to be gentle. He opened his mouth, meaning to suggest that they just got on with it, but the words caught in his throat. Kieren's skin was so soft and warm, his breath nervous flutters against Rick's lips, and what little capacity for thought that was left in Rick fled. He simply froze, transfixed for a moment, before slowly closing the distance between them.

Kieren's lips were soft, the delicate skin warm and inviting against Rick's. He could never have imagined it would feel this right, or that every nerve in his body would respond to the simple action, igniting and yearning for more. Rick wished he'd put a little more force behind the kiss, because the touch was so light and unbearably sweet, and in the few seconds it took before he slowly moved back, he knew he'd left a part of himself behind. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, aching.

He couldn't find the words to fill the space between them. Everything had fallen apart in that one beautiful moment. How could he find it again? He couldn't even find his voice.

"Rick," Kieren breathed, for a moment sounding just as lost as Rick. His hand came up, palm resting openly on Rick's chest, pushing gently to keep Rick at the furthest distance they could manage. "What happens in here stays in here - we won't speak of it again, yeah?"

His voice was barely a whisper, and Rick nodded, although he knew Kieren couldn't see the gesture. "Yeah," he managed to echo, his voice sounding strained to his own ears.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Kieren's hand shifted then, moving up until slender fingers rest against the flushed skin of Rick's neck, curling inwards. Rick had a dizzying feeling he knew what was about to happen, but despite yearning for it, he couldn't move until he felt Kieren's lips press harshly against his own, gently parted and softly inviting despite the force of the kiss. It was then that he finally managed to move, arms closing around Kieren and holding him close as he kissed back, one hand moving to push through Kieren's hair as the other encircled his waist. He needed this. He needed the way they pressed their bodies close, holding each other tightly as they parted their lips and deepend the kiss. He needed the way it felt, echoing so sweetly through his body to the point he no longer cared about anything else. Strangely, though, it didn't ease the ache of his fast-beating heart. It wasn't just that he couldn't get enough of Kieren; it was that this was all he could have. These few minutes were it, and it hurt to know that, because this - even with the way they bumped their noses together awkwardly as they shifted, and the painful crash of teeth as Kieren took half a step back and tried to pull Rick with him - was perfect. Rick didn't want to let go. He couldn't.

There was a time limit, some small part of his mind reminded him. He didn't know how to measure it, or care though. Nothing else mattered - just the way they moved together, kissing and teasing each other, both moaning softly as their hands and tongues grew bolder. Rick's fingers were still carefully tangled in Kieren's hair, but his other hand was tracing over Kieren's hip, feeling the slender shape of his waist and the outline of his belt beneath the top he wore. He itched to lift the fabric up; to feel just how warm and soft Kieren's skin was there, and to pull him even closer. He barely managed to hold himself back, somewhat distracted by the dangerously seductive way Kieren was kissing him, his tongue teasing over and curling round Rick's, making him feel completely weak and embarrassingly novice. He wanted his own touch to feel that good to Kieren. He wanted Kieren to ache for him the way Rick did. It felt like he was fighting a losing battle. How could he compare?

There was a soft thud from somewhere outside the door, followed by a louder bang as Kieren pulled back quickly, hitting his head against the shelf behind him. Rick's hand was still in the way, his fingers catching the blow. The sharp pain hurt nowhere near as much as the distance appearing between them as Kieren pushed him away, clearly startled.

"What was that!?"

Rick shrugged slightly, letting go and allowing his arms to fall uselessly to his side. "Something falling?"

Kieren remained tense for several moments longer, and then exhaled, seeming to relax a little.

"We should, um..." Kieren stuttered awkwardly.

"Time isn't up," Rick pointed out, feeling stupid. He hurt. He ached to feel Kieren against him again, to kiss him just once more, but could sense that that wasn't what his friend was thinking about or wanted.

"We can just talk 'til then?"

Rick hadn’t realised it was possible to feel any worse.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, more aware than ever of the space between them: the darkness, the warmth, the sound of their breathing in the cramped space. And the silence. Despite suggesting that they talk, Kieren fell silent, and Rick certainly couldn't think of anything fitting to say. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, looking down into nothingness, before he closed his eyes unhappily as he grit his teeth against the overwhelming urge rising within him to confess something he barely even knew himself. Even though he knew the words wouldn't be welcome, he wanted to blurt them out anyway.

It felt unfair. It was just some stupid dare. Rick hadn't thought it would end up like this - he certainly hadn't expected it to change him in the slightest. But here he stood, longing for his best friend who stood there in silence, seeming more awkward than anything else. Kieren seemed to want to withdraw. Rick didn't need to be able to see him properly to read that.

"So, um, we won't tell anyone?" Kieren asked eventually. It felt like the final nail in the coffin.

Rick sighed as softly as he could, taking a moment to try and hold back his feelings before he replied. "Well they dared us, so someone might ask, but we can be evasive if you want?"

"Yeah, evasive. Good," Kieren said, sounding distracted. He was as far from Rick as possible, leaning back against the wall. Rick heard the soft 'thunk' followed by a small noise of pain as Kieren tilted his head back and caught himself on the same shelf as earlier. Rick's fingers still hurt where they'd borne the brunt of the impact, and he rubbed over the spot with his other hand. How much longer did he have to stand here, waiting?

He'd gotten to thirty six second before Kieren broke the silence again.

"Did you say you still had that piece you did last year on Larkin?"

"Oh, yeah, somewhere," he replied, knowing Kieren was trying to put as much distance between them and what they'd just done as possible. Rick played along, despite how much he ached to move closer, to feel Kieren against him again. He didn't want to talk about Larkin, but he was responding automatically. "The one about parallels between his poems? Recurring themes and such?"

"Yeah, the whole death and decay thing."

"I didn't do well on it," he warned, somehow feeling ashamed about that fact. It hadn't bothered him before. He had always been happy for Kieren to look at his stuff and read the comments the teacher left, but right now his incompetence just made him feel inadequate. He had this overwhelming need to be perfect; to be someone Kieren would look up to and desire. He wanted to be worth something more.

 _I love him_ , Rick thought. The moment for those words had passed, but the truth still weighed heavily on him. He could still feel Kieren's lips against his own, the warm weight of him in his arms. How was it possible to want one person this much? He was still speaking, responding to the topic currently under discussion, but every part of his body ached for Kieren, his mind almost completely occupied with the realisation he'd come to.

"But I thought you got an A?" Kieren was asking.

"A 'B'," Rick corrected. "Miss Holland said my lack of enthusiasm for poetry showed, and the lack of effort is what affected my grade."

"Well Larkin is a bit depressing," Kieren sympathised, although Rick knew that Kieren liked unbridled morbidity. Kieren would probably get an A for this essay. "Would you mind if I had a look over your stuff?"

"No. When you thinking?" Rick had never minded. Although he remembered the embarrassment from a moment ago, the need to be around Kieren and to help him, to be seen in a good light, far outweighed that. He still regretted not working harder on the essay though. He wanted Kieren to thank him, to think well of him. He wanted Kieren to lean in mid-discussion and kiss him, confessing how he'd always wanted Rick and how he'd always loved him and couldn't live another day without admitting it, and could they please be together because it felt so right Kieren couldn't stand how lonely it felt without Rick.

"Tomorrow after school?"

"Sounds good," Rick agreed, the words difficult to force beyond the lump in his throat. No matter how desperately he yearned for that to happen, it never would. The kiss had ended abruptly, with Kieren withdrawing and trying to distance himself from it, obviously viewing it as a mistake. Rick was trying not to crumple under the weight of unrequited feelings. Kieren was the one he wanted, but the feeling wasn't mutual.

Rick heard someone moving on the other side of the door. Kieren must have heard them too, as they both fell silent. A moment later, there was a loud knock.

"Time's up," Lisa called in a sing-song voice. Rick tried to school his expression, keeping it neutral, as he reached out to push at the door. Lisa beat him to it by a fraction of a second, and light spilled into the small space he and Kieren had been sharing, making Rick blink. He couldn't look at his friend. He felt as if he's break apart if he did.

"Soooo, did you?" Lisa asked, grinning. Rick gave a lopsided grin he knew most girls fell for.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied far more easily than he thought he'd be able to. Lisa's grin widened, as if she'd heard him say something else entirely, and Rick let the illusion stand as he left the closet. "Hey, mind if I grab another drink?"

"Go for it," Lisa shrugged, turning to pick up the jacket that had fallen from where it had been left over the banister. That at least explained the noise that had caused Kieren to pull away so sharply.

"Ren?" Rick asked, turning to Kieren for a response. His heartrate spiked, beating painfully against his chest. How had he not realised it before? Kieren was so incredibly beautiful. Rick had always known that, but how had he not realised he loved him? Of course he loved him: beautiful, smart, funny, honest, talented, trustworthy, quick-witted, accepting... Kieren was everything Rick could ever hope a best friend could be, and more.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Kieren agreed. He didn't even need to say what he wanted. Rick already knew.

"We'll be in the living room," Lisa added needlessly, starting to lead the way back downstairs. Rick brought up the rear.

"Is it Vicky and Dean next?" Kieren asked.

Rick was too distracted by his thoughts to pay attention to Lisa's response. Half an hour later, Kieren excused himself from the party, saying he wasn't feeling well. Rick didn't get a chance to ask him if he was okay - he'd somehow been left talking to Vicky, who was definitely more interested in him than in poor Dean. Rick's heart went out to the guy, and he'd tried to include him in the conversation, but it was exhausting. By the time he'd managed to get way, Kieren was long gone.

Later, at home, Rick lay curled up in a tight ball under his covers. Slowly, he shifted, dragging the pillow from beneath his head and clutching it tightly to his chest, trying to ease the ache and fill the emptiness that had grown there. Kieren hadn't been online when he'd eventually managed to leave Lisa's and get home. All the same, Rick had sent an offline message, saying he hoped Kieren was okay, and see him tomorrow. He'd wanted to say so much more, but had deleted the words mere seconds after typing them, reducing the paragraph to two simple, platonic lines.

 _I love him_ , Rick thought again, making him curl even tighter into a ball, fighting back tears. _I love him_.

He hadn't been brave enough to say anything in those few minutes they'd had. Scenarios kept playing out in his mind - some wonderful and uplifting, making his stomach flutter nervously and his heart ache with the possibility of a happily ever after, while others ended in rejection and tragedy, tearing painfully at his heart and making him long for relief.

Loving someone was so terrible, yet so wonderful, Rick realised. It hurt. It filled him with an aching desperation he hadn't know it was possible to feel. The moment they'd kissed, everything had shifted. His whole world had come undone, but despite the way it hurt and his entire focus had shifted, Rick decided that he couldn't care less. It felt like life was truly worth living, quite simply because Kieren existed.

 _I love him_ , Rick found himself repeating.

 _Please, please, please let him love me back_.


End file.
